David Wojnarowicz in New York City the night before his move to Paris, September 5, 1978. Photo courtesy and by Dirk Rowntree.
Having finally graduated from high school—and abandoned the idea of riding a bicycle to California—David finds some stability in the late 1970s.
He takes a job at Bookmasters in Times Square. He lives in the empty apartment of his sister, Pat, and then with co-workers and friends. He meets poets John Ensslin, Dennis De Forge, Michael Morais, Steve Lackow. He begins expressing himself through both poetry and the design of poetry zine covers. He makes a few pilgrimages to San Francisco by bus, car, and rail.
On September 6, 1978, David travels to Europe for the first time thinking he will never return to New York. He lands in Paris on his twenty-fourth birthday and moves in with his sister, Pat. On November 1, 1978, he meets and falls in love with Jean Pierre Delage writing: “It’s hard to relate the changes I went through as a result of meeting a fella so fucking genuine and sincere and full of warmth.” They begin an intense correspondence.
Explore the images below to learn more about David’s early twenties.
